


Longshot

by lyrically_lost



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: All the Friendship, Female Friendship, Freshmen being freshmen, Friendship, Gen, Hockey, If Samwell had a women's hockey team, Male-Female Friendship, Multiple appearances by the men's team, Partying, Seniors being seniors, Takes place during Year 2, Team Bonding, Team Dynamics, The team house, Women's hockey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2019-11-15 05:54:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18067835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lyrically_lost/pseuds/lyrically_lost
Summary: Every once in a whileThe little things make me smile as ifOne of our longshots paid offOne of our longshots paid offMeet the Samwell Women’s Hockey team, an eclectic group of girls here to play hockey, make memories, and have fun. This is the story of Donner, Franco, Seven, Eight, Calamity, Sonny, Achy, Rover, and Rosie, and their 2014-2015 season.





	1. Introductions and Arrivals

A girl with blonde hair tied in two braids walked in front of a house, spinning a set of keys on her finger. Another girl, with short and choppy brown hair tucked under a baseball cap, already stood in front of the house. They met eyes and grinned.

“We have a house?” asked the brunette.

“We have a house,” the blonde replied.

“About time.”

The blonde opened the door into a small common room. Luckily, it was already furnished, but the furniture had clearly seen better days. Attached to the common room was a kitchenette, with appliances that hopefully worked. From the common room, there was also a small hallway, with a room on each side and a bathroom at the end, and a staircase that led upstairs. Upstairs were four more rooms and two more bathrooms. 

The girls walked through their new home before landing back in the common room, where the brunette collapsed on the worn purple couch. Proudly, she shouted, “We have a house!”

“Only took until senior year,” the blonde quipped.

The brunette sat up. “Donner, we need to claim our rooms before the others get here.”

“Franco, chill,” the blonde replied. “There’s six rooms, and we’re the seniors who got the house.”

“Nah man, I’m claiming my zone before the juniors do,” Franco said. “You should too, I do not want to have to share a bathroom with, like, Calamity.”

Donner shrugged and followed her friend up the stairs. “So what are we gonna call this place?” she asked. “We can’t call it ‘The House,’ the guys are gonna get all pissy and say we ripped them off.”

Franco picked her room (on the right towards the front of the house), then mulled over Donner’s question. “We should call it the Casa!” she exclaimed. Noting Donner’s nonplussed expression, Franco added, “Hey, the boys went all German-y, so we should go Italian!”

Donner rolled her eyes. “I get it Franceschi, you’re an Italian from Jersey,” she said with a mock Italian accent, hand motion included. Franco laughed. Returning to her normal tone, Donner added, “I’m not sold though. We can have the team vote on it.”

Franco shrugged. “Whatever you say, Cap.”

As Donner and Franco were settling themselves into their new home, a series of staccato knocks came from downstairs. As they headed downstairs to get the door, Franco asked, “Who do you think it is?”

“My bet’s on Sonny,” Donner replied.

“Nah, she sleeps too much,” Franco said. “It’s Seven and Eight. And they got here at the same time even though one’s Canadian and the other’s from Brooklyn.”

“Loser puts a buck in the jar?”

“Deal.”

Franco opened the door to two girls standing on the porch. One was bleach-blonde, though her brown roots were starting to show through, with a prominent flower tattoo on her left shoulder. The other had darker skin, dark hair, and notable hoop earrings. 

Franco held out her hand to Donner. “Pay up.”

Donner frowned and waved her off. “I said I’ll put it in the jar.”

“You guys making bets already?” the bleach blonde asked. 

“She thought it would be Sonny instead of you guys,” Franco explained.

“No way, she sleeps late,” the brunette said.

“That’s what I said!”

“Ignoring our minor wager…” Donner said, her volume raised slightly. “Seven, Eight, welcome to the Samwell Women’s Hockey house.” She motioned the other two girls in.

“You need a better name, man,” Seven said. 

“I know,” Donner replied. “I just haven’t gotten it yet.”

“I think we should call it the Casa,” Franco added.

The other two girls made faces and shook their heads.

“That sounds like the name of a terrible restaurant,” Eight quipped. 

“Fine, fine, I get it, my naming suggestions are unwanted,” Franco said, holding up her hands.

“So which rooms are ours?” Seven asked.

“Take your pick,” Donner said. “Franco and I already started settling in upstairs, so there’s two left up there, and then there’s two down the hallway on this floor.”

Seven and Eight glanced at each other and nodded.

“We’re taking the ones down here,” Eight said for both of them.

* * *

A tall girl with cropped red hair knocked on the door. “Mackenzie Donohue you are the _best!_ ” she shouted. 

Donner opened the door. “I appreciate that the first thing out of your mouth wasn’t a chirp for once.”

“Aw, Donny, c’mon! I can be nice!” the redhead protested.

The blonde motioned her inside. “Come on in, Sonny.”

Sonny grinned as she looked around her home for the year. “So this is the Haus, Ladies Edition?”

“Basically,” Donner said. “Still needs a good name though. You got anything?”

Sonny shrugged. “My creativity ends at nicknames and chirps. Pitch it to Dewy, maybe. The guy’s pun central.”

“Maybe,” Donner said. “But we better name it before the guys do.”

“Very true.” 

“I thought I heard the freshman bruiser,” Franco announced, coming downstairs. 

“Good to see you too, Franco,” Sonny said. The two teammates hugged.

“Hey, nice ‘do,” Franco said, smirking.

Sonny frowned. “I blame you, it still hasn’t recovered from the playoff chop.” 

“Yeah, yeah. You get last pick on rooms, by the way. Sophomore,” the senior said with a grin.

“Come on, does that mean I have to wait until Calamity and Seven and Eight get here?” Sonny complained. 

“Nope, just Calamity,” Eight said, making a timely appearance. Sonny gave her a big hug.

Seven appeared just after. “Alright, let me in on this.”

Sonny smiled at her teammates. “I missed you guys.”

“Funny, I vaguely remember you hating us all at about this time last year,” Franco quipped.

“And I vaguely remember you not being able to stop my shots,” Sonny retorted. 

Donner stepped in. “Chill guys, save it for the freshmen.”

At this time, there was another knock on the door. Donner opened it to a girl with brown hair with highlights and a smattering of freckles across her nose. 

Sonny rushed over and the two did a quick handshake, ending with them bumping shoulders. “Calamity! How’ve you been?”

“I’m good. Didn’t injure myself over the summer for once,” the newcomer replied. She noticed the other girls and gave them each a hug (though not nearly as forcefully as Sonny). “Is this the whole crew?”

“In terms of residents, yeah,” Donner said. “Seven, Eight, Franco, and I already claimed our rooms. You and Sonny get the two left upstairs.”

“Sweet,” Calamity said. “This place ain’t bad, all things considered. Didn’t this use to be that isolated sorority house?”

“Yep. That’s what we were given. It was either this or a house on Frat Row,” Donner explained.

“Good choice. And at least we won’t have to deal with ghosts like the boys.”

Seven added, “Probably.”

“I hope not,” Calamity replied. “I’m accident prone enough without supernatural intervention.”

“Yeah, try not to break anything on the first day, Calamity,” Franco said.

She gave a thumbs up. “I’ll stay out of the kitchen for sure.”

“I know you and Sonny still have to get settled, so go do that,” Donner said. “But when everyone’s done, meet back down here. We have to inaugurate the new home of Samwell Women’s Hockey.”

Franco grinned. “And I think we all know what that means.”


	2. The Quacks

A gaggle of girls occupied one of the round booths and a haphazard scattering of chairs at Jerry’s. The Samwell Women’s Hockey team at the diner wasn’t an unfamiliar sight. As Donner explained, “Our captain last year liked celebrating wins with pancakes the next morning.”

The breakfast was a chance for the non-residents to catch up. Sonny talked animatedly with a girl with black hair tied in a bun called Fuji, and the only guy at the table, who she called Dewy.

Amid the pleasant chatter, three girls sat next to each other. They were very different, the only thing joining them their awkwardness and status as freshmen. The one to the left was short, with long, dark brown hair and bright blue eyes, wearing a band t-shirt. In the middle was a tall girl with black hair and bangs, brown eyes, and a bored expression. Off to the right was a girl of average height, with brown eyes, a fair amount of freckles, and light brown hair with the ends dyed hot pink.

Donner interrupted the chatter with an announcement. “Alright, yes, good to see you all even though I know you texted all summer, yadda yadda. What we’re really here for is to meet the Quacks.”

“So the freshmen this year are Quacks like we were Pigeons?” Sonny said.

Donner sighed. “Yes, we’re calling this year’s freshman Quacks. Blame Franco, it was her idea.”

“Hey!” the senior protested.

The captain continued, turning to the freshmen. “I wanted to meet you guys off the ice first so you’re less intimidated. We’re a great team, and a great community, so I promise you’ll have a great time if you stick with us. So enjoy the pancakes, but you’ve gotta introduce yourselves first.”

The freshmen sat in silence, glancing between each other.

“Go on,” Donner encouraged.

The girl in the band t-shirt shrugged. “I’ll go I guess. I’m Sydney Acker. I’m from New Jersey, yes, really. I play defense. I’m a pop-punk kid, if you couldn’t tell from my shirt. And I play guitar.” She described herself matter-of-factly.

“Wait, you’re from Jersey?” Franco asked. “Where?”

“Are you from New Jersey?” Sydney answered with a question.

“Hell yeah!” Franco replied. “Fairfield, Essex County! Where are you from?”

“Morris. Randolph.”

Franco smiled. “Nice. I like you already, kid.”

Donner smiled too. Her team bonding meeting was working.

“Hey, Fuji, did you guess that one?” Sonny asked.

“Not New Jersey. I thought she was from New York, near the city, so close, but not quite,” Fuji replied.

“Go for the next one, the one with the bangs,” Sonny encouraged.

“Looks like you’ve been volunteered,” Donner said to the freshman.

“At least I’m not first,” the girl with the bangs said. 

“Wait, let me guess. New England, definitely. Not Massachusetts. Vermont,” Fuji said.

“You’re good,” the girl with the bangs said with a slight smile. “I’m Valentina Federov, she said it, I’m from Burlington, Vermont, and I play defense.” She paused. “Am I supposed to say what I like or something?”

“We are trying to get to know you,” Donner replied.

“Alright, um, I like movies, I guess?” Valentina said somewhat awkwardly.

“How did you guess where she’s from?” the girl with the dyed hair asked Fuji.

The sophomore winked and grinned. “Magic.”

“Guess where I’m from.”

Fuji put on a thinking expression. “Absolutely a New Yorker. Not upstate though. I’m gonna say Long Island.”

“You got it!” the girl with the dyed hair said. She then began to ramble a bit. “Was it the accent? I’ve been told I have a New York accent, but I can’t really tell. That’s so cool that you guessed it!”

“Slow down, kid,” Franco quipped. “You’re gonna give us all whiplash.”

The girl with the dyed hair’s face sank. “Oh, sorry. I tend to talk a lot when I’m excited, and I’m really excited to be here!”

“It’s okay, Franco’s just giving you a hard time,” Donner said. “Delaney, right?”

“Oh, yeah! Introductions! I’m Delaney Rosen, I play forward, and um, I like to cook!”

“Question is, are you a good cook?” Sonny asked.

“I think I’m pretty good,” Delaney replied. “I’ve been told I make really good soups and sauces. Like, I make a mean creamy tomato sauce for pasta. It’s like penne vodka sans vodka.”

“The house does have a kitchen,” Seven added.

“The women’s team might just have gotten our own Bitty!” Eight said happily.

Donner took a deep breath and smiled warmly towards the freshmen. “Alright, Sydney, Valentina, Delaney, welcome to the Samwell Women’s Hockey team.”


	3. The Big Show

“You’re telling me the freshmen are seeing this place in an hour and it still doesn’t have a name?” Franco said, splayed across one of the couches in the common room.

“Excuse me, it hasn’t really been high on my list recently!” Donner exclaimed. She was clearly on the frazzled side; her normally pristine bun sat messily on her head, and you could hear the stress in her voice.

“Mack, you need more sleep, less coffee,” Sonny, who had her feet propped up on the other couch, said.

Donner took a deep breath and regained her composure. “I know, it’s just, I have a lot of things to worry about now.” She pressed a hand to her forehead. “I never realized being captain would be so… infuriating. How the hell did Jennifer Quinn do it?”

“Jennifer Quinn was a freak of nature,” Calamity chimed in from the kitchen, where she was making a sandwich. “JQuinn also didn’t have a house to worry about.” She waved the knife in her hand as she talked.

“Calamity, put down the knife before you stab yourself,” Franco quipped.

Sonny added, “I thought you said you were staying out of the kitchen.”

“I know, but I’m hungry and I really don’t feel like walking across campus right now,” Calamity replied. “And Franco, I won’t be the one getting stabbed.” She pointed the knife at the senior for effect.

“Okay, we know Cal has it out for me now. Can we get back to the issue at hand?” Franco said.

“Right, name. Did you ask Seven and Eight?” Sonny suggested.

“They had nothing.”

“Did you ask Fuji? Or Dewy, you know he’s good with wordplay.”

Franco shrugged.

Sonny pulled out her phone. “Alright, I’m gonna call Dewy and see if he has anything.”

“I think I got an idea,” Calamity said through a bite of sandwich.

“Well spit it out!” Franco exclaimed. She added, “Not the sandwich though.”

“What about, like, the She-Shack? Or something like that?”

Franco made a face. “It doesn’t fit right.”

Donner shook her head. “It’s decent, but I don’t think the house is dilapidated enough to call it a shack.”

“Alright, I get it.” Calamity shrugged. “Back to my lunch in peace it is.”

Sonny paused her phone conversation. “Dewy thinks we should do some kind of acronym.”

“It’s a possibility,” Donner said. “What’s he thinking?”

“Oh, this is pretty good,” Sonny said. “He says we should call the house the Big Show. Or maybe just Show, depending on what you guys think.”

“How is that an acronym?” Franco asked.

“S-H-O-W-H, silent H at the end,” Sonny replied. “Samwell House Of Women’s Hockey.”

“The Big Show,” Donner tried out. “I think I can get behind that.”

Franco smiled. “I actually kind of like that.”

Sonny picked her phone back up and said into it, “Congrats Dewy, you just named our house.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! This chapter brings us to the end (mostly) of introductions; there will be a little more action, or at least interaction, in coming chapters! 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and a very special thanks to the people who left kudos. I really appreciate all of you!


	4. The Tour

“Alright Quacks, listen up,” Franco announced. She had on her black baseball cap and a stern expression. “This is the Big Show, that’s S-H-O-W silent H, got it? The Big Samwell House of Women’s Hockey. It’s going to be your home base for the next four years, so get used to it. And appreciate it, because Donner worked her fucking ass off to get it for us and you lucky fuckers get it all four years.”

“Wouldn’t it be better as the Big House of Samwell Women’s Hockey?” Sydney said.

“The acronym doesn’t work as well if you change the order,” Delaney pointed out.

“Two points to Rosie because she gets it!” Franco announced. “Achy, you lose two points and you are no longer my favorite Quack.”

“We get points?” Valentina asked. “For what?”

Franco just grinned. “You’ll see. But it’ll be good on you to earn some.”

Valentina shrugged, then asked, “Aren’t we here to get a tour of the house, whatever you call it?”

“Rover loses one point for asking too many questions.”

The freshman in question rolled her eyes.

“Now come on,” Franco said. “I am supposed to be giving you a tour.”

Valentina sighed, but she, Sydney, and Delaney followed Franco into the house, where Seven and Eight were lounging in the common area. 

“Giving the Quacks the house tour?” Eight said.

“Yep,” Franco replied.

“Good times,” Seven quipped.

“Uh, Franco?” Delaney asked.

“What?” the senior replied, mildly irritated. “Tread carefully, Quack.”

“Are those nicknames permanent?”

“Rosie, you lose a point for asking a stupid question.”

“I mean, it’s not _that_ stupid,” Seven commented. “They just don’t know the rules yet.” She looked at Franco. “I’m assuming you didn’t bother telling them the rules.”

“What rules?” Delaney asked. 

“The rules of Samwell Women’s Hockey, of course!” Eight replied. “Allow us to enlighten you.”

The numerically-named juniors managed to somehow materialize a blackboard, with “Seven and Eight’s Samwell Survival Guide” scrawled on it. 

“The rule in question is Rule Number 3,” Seven began. “All nicknames established in preseason are final.”

“The origin is pretty clear on this one. Preseason nicknames just tend to stick, and so when the rules were written down, this habit was signed into law,” Eight explained.

Seven concluded, “So basically, yes, you are stuck with those nicknames.”

“They’re not terrible, all things considered,” Sydney said. “Better than my nickname in high school.”

With a slight smirk, Eight asked, “What was your nickname in high school?”

Sydney touched the back of her neck awkwardly. “Uh, they called me Kidney.”

There were various reactions throughout the room. Valentina was mildly amused. Seven, Eight, and Delaney sputtered a little in that kind of half-laugh. 

Franco cracked up. “What’d you do to get that name?”

Sydney frowned. “Absolutely nothing. Other than being a girl on a boy’s public school team with an easily messed-with first name.”

The senior smiled. “Two points to Achy for good humor.”

“Aw, one less secret to come out during hazing,” Seven said.

The freshmen looked at their upperclassmen warily. 

Franco waved her hand in a dismissive manner. “You’ll find out about it soon.”

Delaney’s attention was elsewhere though. “Is this the kitchen you guys mentioned?” Excitedly, she ran over and began poking around the kitchen. She opened cabinets to examine plates, pots, and pans and inspected the appliances. She crossed her arms and smiled. “I think I can do some damage here.”

“Are you gonna give us a demo?” Eight asked.

“Sure, but-”

Franco cut Delaney off. “ _After_ I finish my shit, okay?”

The freshmen shrugged. “Alright.”

“You get extra points if it’s good though.” Franco motioned to the stairs. “Let’s head upstairs.”

“Hey, it’ll do you good to remember who’s room is who’s!” Seven called.

As they headed up the creaky stairs, Sydney asked, “Other than, um, those two, is anyone else home?”

“It’s probably just Seven and Eight. Calamity might be around, but I think Donner and Sonny are both out,” Franco replied. “Which leads us to the layout up here. Down the hall to the right is me. Also on the right but closer to the stairs is Donner. That’s a bathroom in between, and there’s another one across from the stairs. On the left is Sonny down the hall, and Calamity’s next to her.”

“Decent place for what it is,” Valentina noted.

“Hey, it’s home for now,” Franco said. “This concludes our tour of the Big Show. You all get a point for being decent. Now head back downstairs, and Rosie, you better show off that cooking you’ve talked so much about.”

“What should I make? Do you guys want food-food or just a snack? Probably just a snack. Should I go salty, savory, or sweet though? Nah, not sweet. So…”

As Delaney rambled about options for food, Valentina talked to Franco. “So the running totals for this point system of yours.”

“I should really be writing those down…” Franco mumbled, without realizing the freshmen had it down.

“I have none, Achy has one, Rosie has two,” she recited.

“Yeah, that. Can you say it again?”

Valentina rolled her eyes but did as asked. Meanwhile, Eight was looking over Delaney’s shoulder, trying to help but likely hurting as she cooked. Sydney and Eight sat on a couch, talking, and Valentina and Franco joined them.

Slowly but surely, this was the beginnings of a great team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thanks again for reading and supporting, it really means a lot to me!
> 
> This chapter was quite a bit longer than the other ones I've written so far. I was keeping the others short to make it feel closer to a comic strip, but I'm curious what you think about the long form. Would you rather have the shorter chapters (with a lot more frequent updates) or the longer chapters? Let me know in the comments.


	5. The Boys

The veterans had done little to prepare the freshmen for their first interaction with their male counterparts. Seven, Eight, and Sonny did give Achy, Rover, and Rosie a crash course in the key players of the men’s hockey team, but it was only enough information for Rover to notice some interesting parallels between the two hockey teams, not a comprehensive overview. As such, entering the Haus for the first time came as a bit of a shock to the freshmen.

“Something smells good,” Rosie said as she passed through the threshold.

“It’s a frat house, how can it smell…” Rover began. “Wait, you’re right. It smells… sweet.”

As they tried to figure out the oddity, a shorter man with blonde hair, dressed in an apron and carrying a pie with oven mitts, passed the freshmen. “Oh, you must be the women’s team freshmen!” he said happily, with a clear Southern accent. “Let me put this down and I’ll show y’all around!”

Achy jerked a finger in his direction and leaned in towards Rosie and Rover. “I think that’s the source of our mystery smell.”

He ducked behind a corner and reappeared sans pie and oven mitts. “Oh how rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself! I’m Eric, or Bitty, I’m a sophomore. What are your names?”

“I’m Valentina, this is Sydney and Delaney,” she introduced.

“Or I’m Achy, she’s Rover, she’s Rosie,” she added. “That’s what the girls call us.”

“Sonny talks about you a lot,” Rosie said. “She says you’re a good cook.”

“Oh, I just bake on the side, nothing major,” Bitty said. “Now, that cinnamon apple crumble should be cool enough by now if you’re interested in a slice.”

The veterans of the women’s team stood on the Haus porch, spying on the whole interaction.

“I’m glad they met Bitty first,” Donner said.

“Yeah, but can we go in now? Whatever pie he made sounds too good!” Sonny added.

“I would’ve wanted to see them meet Shitty first,” Franco quipped. “Y’know, get the real SMH experience.”

As if he was summoned, the infamous long-haired senior appeared. “What are you ladies doing out here?”

“Spying on the freshmen,” Franco said matter-of-factly.

“First time meeting the guys?” Shitty asked. 

Franco nodded. 

“Fun times.” He turned towards Donner. “Hey Mack, first Haus party of the season’s set for next week. You looking to keep your streak going?”

The women’s team captain rolled her eyes, but she was noticeably paler.

Sonny chuckled. “Talk about ‘Do as I say, not as I do.’”

Achy opened the Haus door and gave her team’s veterans a look of disdain. Shitty was on the receiving end of an equal look of confusion. “You know we heard all that, right?” she said. “The walls in this house are too thin.”

Donner groaned. “Get back to your pie, these are stories for another day.”

Achy shrugged. “Fine by me. Bitty says he has plenty though if you guys want.”

The veterans, plus Achy and Shitty, made their way into the Haus kitchen, mostly enticed by Bitty’s pies. They found Bitty and Rosie sitting at the counter, talking animatedly.

“That sounds amazing! You have to give me your recipe,” Rosie gushed.

“You might have to wait until I get it shipped from home, my family’s weird about recipes,” Bitty said. “But you’ll have to teach me how to make that soup you mentioned.”

“I’m happy to! We’ll do a recipe trade!”

“Looks like someone made a friend,” Donner interrupted.

Rosie shrugged but smiled. “I guess! Bitty gave us pie, and then we just started talking about food.”

“Bitty!” Sonny exclaimed, wrapping the smaller man with a very forceful hug.

“Good to see you too, Sonny,” he replied. “But I don’t think this is a good time for checking practice.”

“Sonny, try not to break Bitty. The Haus lives off his pies,” Shitty said.

The redhead backed off. “Sorry! Just happy to see you. What did you make today?”

“It’s fine, Sonny,” Bitty said. “I have a cinnamon apple crumble, but the freshmen did a number on that one. The blueberry-rhubarb lattice should be ready by now though.”

“Sounds good to me!” Sonny said. “Can we still keep our practice-for-pies deal?”

“I’d give you pies even if you weren’t.”

Sonny hugged Bitty again. “You’re the best, man!”

Achy interrupted the pie-filled reunion. “Hey, has anyone seen Rover?”

“I’m right here,” Rover said, entering the main area next to Ransom and Holster.

Donner gave the two guys the sternest look she could muster (which was nowhere near Jack Zimmermann stern, but it did the trick). “What were you two doing with my freshman?”

“Nothing, I swear!” Holster said.

“Yeah, we were just giving her a tour. We asked the other two, but they were more interested in pie,” Ransom explained.

Holster added, “And honestly, who can blame them.”

“I appreciate the concern, but chill,” Rover said. “They showed me around and then Holster and I talked movies. Never would’ve pegged you as a rom-com guy, by the way.”

“Most people wouldn’t,” Holster replied.

“We’re still missing someone though,” Franco noted. “One Jack Zimmermann has failed to show up.”

At just the right time, the Canadian captain entered the Haus. Several pairs of eyes blinked at him.

“I forgot the women’s team was coming over,” Jack said. 

“It’s fine,” Donner replied. “You’ve never been the most punctual for informal events.”

Jack shook off the mild chirp with a “Good to see you too, Mackenzie.”

Rover decided to make the first introduction. “Hi, I’m Valentina, I’m one of the freshmen.” She held out a hand.

He shook it. “Jack.”

Rosie followed her lead. Smiling, she waved and said, “Hi, I’m Rosie, or Delaney, Rosie is just my nickname, and-” She cut herself off before she began to ramble. “Sorry. Nice to meet you.”

“You too.”

Achy, usually outgoing, was frozen. In place of an introduction, all she said was, “Holy hell.”

Rover forcefully slapped her on the shoulder.

“Ow!” Achy exclaimed, before realizing what had just happened. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry! I’m Sydney. I’m really sorry, I was a bit starstruck.”

Jack looked awkward as he replied, “It’s okay.”

Achy opened her mouth to say something else but quickly closed it. She had embarrassed herself enough already.

Bitty interrupted the mild silence. “I still have pie if y’all want!”

“What did we do before he was around?” Donner said.

Jack replied, “Honestly, I can’t remember.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The men's team finally makes their appearance! This may be the first, but it will certainly not be the last!
> 
> Thanks again for reading and support, and stay tuned for more! I promise there will be some actual hockey coming up soon!


	6. The Preseason Recap

“Alright, our first game’s tomorrow. So let’s recap preseason.”

Donner made this announcement to the gathering of veterans assembled in the common room of the Big SHOWH.

Rover also stated this to Achy and Rosie. The three freshmen had gathered in Rover’s dorm since her roommate was out.

At the Big SHOWH, Donner continued. “We have a really strong team this year. With a little elbow grease, I think we can go far.” If there was one think Donner honestly enjoyed about being captain, it was the motivational speeches, and she was in peak form now. “I think last year’s playoff run did us good. There’s a focus and a drive in this team that wasn’t there last year, and that’s gonna do us real good. I want to go all the way this year, and I think you guys do too.”

“Hell yeah we do!” Sonny shouted. She was highly susceptible to motivational speeches.

In Rover’s dorm, Achy said, “So in other words, we’re gonna trash the upperclassmen?”

Rover shrugged. “Yeah, basically.”

“Good,” Achy said. “Because I have beef with Sonny.”

“Go on and tell us then!” Rosie encouraged. She sat on the floor cross-legged, with her elbows on her knees and her chin propped on her hands, waiting for the gossip.

“So I’ll admit I haven’t played on many women’s teams, but usually, checking isn’t allowed, and I’m pretty sure it’s the same in the NCAA. I don’t think Sonny knows that. Rover, you saw how she slammed me in that one scrimmage!” 

“Yeah, she’s a bit of a bruiser, but don’t take it personally. I think every D-man on the team has been on the receiving end of one of her hits,” Rover replied. “So you should probably drop your ‘beef’ with her.”

“Sonny, I think you got faster, if that’s possible,” Donner said to the sophomore.

“Yeah, well, I put in a lot of time on the ice this summer,” Sonny replied. “My summer job was rink monitoring and coaching kids camps. Plus Alexa would invite me over after her sessions a lot.”

“Ooh, Alexa,” Franco singsonged teasingly. “You gonna give us the details or not?”

Sonny shrugged. “There’s not much to give. She’s my girlfriend. We hung out a couple times, like at the park or we went to the movies or something, and we skated together a lot.”

“Is she gonna come visit you all the time again?” Calamity asked.

“Nah, she’s spending the season in Minneapolis. She got a new coach after the whole thing at the Olympics and he wants her there for this year.”

“Too bad, she was kind of fun,” Eight said. “Remember when she tried teaching Benny and Mags how to do that spin?”

“Do I remember,” Calamity groaned. “I fell smack-dab on my ass and I wasn’t even trying it!”

Seven chuckled. “Oh right! Mags bumped into you and you went down!”

“There _is_ a reason we call you Calamity,” Eight added. 

“You guys might get another figure skating lesson at some point, though,” Sonny said. “Alexa says she’s gonna try to stop by at least once for a game.” 

“Y’know, it’s pretty hard to imagine you as a good girlfriend when you’re so mean to you friends,” Seven quipped. The other girls laughed. 

Sonny frowned. “Yeah yeah, go ahead and make fun of me. I’m still the only one in this house who’s not single.”

“Yeah, but we’re all gonna get laid at parties, and you’ll be stuck with FaceTime and texting,” Franco retorted.

“All of you, calm down,” Donner said. “We do not need a repeat of the Hartman debacle.”

“There is a reason Rule 12 exists,” Eight mused. 

“To offer my two cents on the upperclassmen, I like Seven and Eight,” Rover said. “They’re great players, and they’re pretty fun.”

“I’d say more weird than fun,” Achy added. “All the times they’ve dropped a random rule on us?”

“I’m with Achy, Seven and Eight are kinda freaky,” Rosie said. “It’s like they read each other’s minds or something.”

Rover shrugged. “They just work well with each other.” She shot a disapproving look to Achy. “Besides, I think it’s just a thing with D-men in that grade. Ransom and Holster are the same way.”

“Maybe,” Rosie replied. “I still think it’s kinda weird though.”

“You guys with the frosh are great,” Franco said to Seven and Eight. “Your whole ‘Samwell Survival Guide’ thing is hilarious.”

“We’ll teach them about ‘Do as I say, not as I do’ before the first Haus party,” Seven said.

“Oh, count me in! I want to see that,” Franco replied.

“Honestly, we got lucky with freshmen,” Donner said. “All three of them are solid players.”

“And at least ours get along,” Eight added. “Have you seen that pair of D-men the guys picked up? I don’t think I’ve ever seen them not arguing.”

“Like I said, we got lucky.”

“There are definitely some weird things about them though,” Sonny said. “Like, how the hell is Achy a D-man? She’s like five-foot!”

“You’re just too tall. According to the roster, she’s five-four,” Donner commented.

“And that didn’t seem to bother you in that scrimmage last week,” Calamity added. “You hit her like she’s five-ten.”

Sonny crossed her arms. “You know that’s just how I play!” she protested.

“Even with the height thing, she’s not bad,” Eight said. “Gardner paired us up for a couple drills. She knows what she’s doing.”

“Has anyone else noticed that Rover’s kinda intimidating?” Seven asked. “Like, especially on the ice, she’s really serious.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Franco replied. “She has this, like, evil glare. It stares into your soul, man.”

“At least Rosie’s pretty not-complicated,” Calamity said.

“Not exactly,” Donner replied. “She’s good with a stick, but her skating could use work. She’s on the slower side, and she always seems a bit unsteady.”

“Delaney, I have to ask,” Rover said. “How are you so good at stickhandling but not at skating?”

“That’s probably because I didn’t always play ice hockey. I really only started like four years ago. Before that, I was a field hockey player,” she replied.

“Field hockey? Really?” Achy asked incredulously.

“Yeah!” Rosie said. “You wanna hear my story?” 

Rover shrugged. Achy nodded.

“Alright then. Basically, I played field hockey all throughout middle school. Because I’m from one of those Long Island suburbs and if you’re a girl who likes sports, that’s what you do. I was pretty decent at it, enough to make varsity my freshman year of high school. 

“My varsity field hockey career was not very long-lived though. So I did summer preseason training with the team and stuff, and then we got to our first game in early September. And I had probably only been playing for like five minutes, and I don’t even remember what happened, but all of a sudden, I was down. Turned out I had sprained my ankle pretty badly. Like, I was on crutches for like two weeks, and various support thingies for my ankle afterwards. I wound up healing by like late October-early November, but by that point I had missed so much of the season that it wasn’t worth it for me to try to be on the field hockey team. So I gave up on it for that year, with the intention of going back the next year. Spoiler alert, I never did. 

“That year had a really early, cold winter, so this pond near my house froze over. And I had this old pair of hybrid skates and an amateur hockey stick, so I’d go out and skate the pond and occasionally play a pickup game of hockey with my brother and his friends or my neighbors or something. Then one of my neighbors, who was on the hockey team, dropped the idea that I should try joining because he said I had good stick-handling skills. I was a little iffy since I wasn’t the best skater, but he said we can work on that. So he taught me the basics of how to skate like a hockey player, and I joined the team. It wasn’t long before I realized I really liked playing hockey. There was just something about it that I never had playing field hockey. That year for Hanukkah, I got a pair of real hockey skates and a good stick, and the rest is history! Well, sorta. I’ve gotten a lot better since then.” Rosie looked at her fellow freshmen. “But enough about me, let’s get back to dishing on the upperclassmen!” 

Achy and Rover shrugged. 

“Alright, who do you guys think is more intimidating, Donner or Franco?” Rosie asked.

“Franco, hands down,” Achy replied. “She’s insane, and like insane-crazy not insane-awesome. If she’s behind it, I’m honestly worried for hazing.”

“Really? I think Franco’s funny,” Rosie said. “I find Donner kinda intimidating. Like, she’s really nice, but she’s just amazing on the ice, like on a whole other level.”

“Neither of them are intimidating,” Rover contributed. “Donner is a good captain and a good player, and Franco’s just kinda off-beat.”

“Not surprising coming from you,” Achy mumbled.

“What was that?”

“Nothing. It’s just I’m not surprised they don’t intimidate you, you’re kinda scary yourself.”

Rover relaxed her posture and smirked slightly. “You’re not the first person to say that.”

“Why does that make you happy?”

“I find it amusing.”

Rosie, simply watching the exchange between the two D-men asked, “Are you guys always like this?”

Achy and Rover shrugged.

“I don’t get D-men,” Rosie muttered.

“Alright, that’s probably enough gossip and humiliation for the night,” Donner said. “We’ve got a big day tomorrow, so take care of yourselves tonight. Get some kind of sleep. And then we can party and shit tomorrow night. Victory makes it better.”

“Den mother Donny strikes again!” Sonny teased.

Donner rolled her eyes and shook it off with a smile.

“So, you guys excited for our first game tomorrow?” Rosie asked. “Cause I know I am. My first ever college hockey game! It seems hard to believe.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Achy replied. “But I’m probably more nervous than excited.”

“What’s there to be nervous about? It’s like any other game. It just happens to be a first of a certain kind,” Rover said.

Achy gave her a look. “Irrational fears are a thing, you know.”

“Alright, I’ve been harassed enough for the night,” Rover declared, standing up. “Besides, my roommate is probably coming back soon, so you guys should get out of here.”

“See you guys tomorrow!” Rosie said cheerily.

“Later,” Achy said, with significantly less energy.

“Yeah, you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this chapter, the introduction ends and the main season officially begins. Stay tuned for Samwell Women's Hockey's first game of the 2014-2015 season!
> 
> And once again, thank you for reading! I really appreciate it!


	7. The First Game

Samwell Women’s Hockey had an eventful first game. This is that story, as told through questions from the Quacks.

> Question 1: “What the hell is this music?” -Sydney “Achy” Acker

The team had already talked about their strategy against Quinnipiac and were finally suiting up. Donner had quickly connected her phone to the Bluetooth speakers and turned on her pregame playlist. The team was familiar with Donner playing music in the locker room, but the freshmen had never heard this particular mix.

It started off like most of the captain’s playlists: with classic rock. There were two good songs before the irregularities started. Next up was a twangy country tune.

Achy cringed. She was not a country fan, but hopefully, it was just one song.

It was, but the next song wasn’t more classic rock. Instead of a good guitar line, Achy’s ears were met with a thumping EDM beat, the kind that gave her a headache. She grimaced and tried to ignore it.

At the fifth song, she couldn’t ignore it anymore. Another country song was playing through the speakers, and Sydney Acker had enough. She marched over to Donner and demanded, “What the hell is this music?”

The captain shrugged. “My pregame playlist.”

Eight, whose stall was next to Donner’s, added, “It’s a patented mix of classic rock, country, and EDM. And there might me some jazz too?”

“Yeah, definitely some jazz,” Donner replied.

“Well whatever it is, I don’t like it!” Achy exclaimed. “You need to pick a genre and stick to it! And preferably the classic rock, because country music all sounds the same and EDM is assaulting to the eardrums!”

The other members of the team cracked up. 

“Chill out, man,” Eight said. “It’s just music.”

“Soundtrack is an integral part of my pregame ritual,” Achy replied, trying very hard not to lose her cool.

“Looks like you’re gonna have to deal with it,” Franco said. “No one else is objecting.”

Achy sighed and sat back down in front of her stall. 

Rover, who was next to her, quipped, “I had no idea you were such a music snob.”

Achy rolled her eyes. “Please, not from you too.” Hoping to tune out both Donner’s questionable playlist and the whole exchange, she plugged in earbuds to listen to her music of choice.

> Question 2: “Wait, your name is Kelly? And yours is Ellison?” -Delaney “Rosie” Rosen

For Rosie, putting on a real Samwell hockey jersey, with “Rosen” on the back and a big number 12, things got real. When she was lined up alongside everyone else’s last names and numbers, she felt like part of a team.

As the team skated onto the ice for their first game, Rosie felt the mix of excitement and nerves bubbling in her stomach as the announcer listed the starting lineup. 

_“From Fairfield, New Jersey, number 2, Kelly Franceschi. From Toronto, Ontario, number 17, Jordan Severide. From New York City, number 28, Sierra Ochoa. From Portland, Maine, number 10, captain, Mackenzie Donohue. From Richmond, Virginia, number 13, Fiona Callender. And from Boston, Massachusetts, number 23, Ellison Anders.”_

As excited as she was, something about the announcement piqued Rosie’s interest. She sought out Franco and Sonny. “Wait, your name is Kelly?” she asked. “And yours is Ellison?”

“Yeah, weird, I know,” Sonny replied. “You can see why I prefer my nickname.”

“Yeah, what’s wrong with that?” Franco said.

“Nothing, you just don’t seem like a Kelly,” Rosie clarified.

The senior shrugged. “Hey, my name’s my name.”

> Question 3: “Did that really just happen?” -Valentina “Rover” Federov

It was third period. Samwell and Quinnipiac were tied 1-1. The first line of Donner, Sonny, and Calamity was on, with Achy and Rover as their D-men and Franco in goal. The game had sat at a stalemate since midway through the second period, and Samwell wanted to break it. However, the breakthrough in question would come from an unlikely source.

The ever-fearless Sonny stole the puck right out from under a Quinnipiac forward. She sent a beautiful pass to Rover, who was in the perfect place at the right time. With no hesitation at all, the freshman received the pass and took a shot. 

It wasn’t until Sonny practically shoved her into the boards that Rover realized what had just occurred. 

“Rover, you beautiful motherfucker!” Sonny shouted, almost smothering Rover with a bear hug. The rest of the team joined in, crowding around her for a group hug.

“Holy hell! Val, that was sick!” Achy encouraged, slapping her defense partner on the back.

The usually-cool Rover was still in shock. “Did that really just happen?” she asked incredulously.

“Hell yeah it did!” Calamity shouted.

“You broke the tie!” Donner exclaimed. “That was a great shot.”

“Thanks.” Rover’s face split into a grin. “Now let’s do that again!”

The captain’s expression mirrored hers. “You got that right!”

Samwell wound up winning 3-2. Quinnipiac caught up again in the remainder of the third period, but another beautiful shot from Donner cinched the win.

The team poured into the locker room afterward, high on adrenaline, all hugs, slaps, and high fives.

They won their first game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thanks for all the support! We passed 100 hits, and we have 7 kudos now, so I'm quite happy!
> 
> I went with a bit of an irregular format for this chapter, mostly because I had really clear visions of these three moments, and I didn't know how I'd fit them in otherwise without the chapter getting really long. Also I did not want to write a lot of actual hockey...
> 
> Anyway, hope you're continuing to enjoy the story of the Samwell Women's Hockey team! Let me know what you think, or if there's something in particular you want to see. There's a lot coming down the pipeline for our girls, just wait and see!


	8. The Afterparty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna offer up a little warning. There's a lot of drinking, some underage, and a lot of alcohol and the mention of it in this chapter. If that makes you uncomfortable, I'd avoid this chapter. If it doesn't, enjoy!

The Big SHOWH was packed to the brim, with seemingly every available space occupied by a body. The music was loud, the alcohol was plentiful, and there were definitely people making out upstairs. The men’s team and the Haus may have been known for their kegsters, but even at their first, the girls of the Big SHOWH made a worthy adversary.

Franco always seemed to be at the center of it all. She wore her favorite black baseball cap and a pair of ridiculous sunglasses, and held a beer that was definitely not her first. The self-dubbed “SHOWH-runner” had organized the whole party, and she was enjoying her own handiwork. 

Donner, also not on her first drink, was with Franco and had an arm playfully slung around her best friend. It could have been the alcohol or the victory, but she was light and loose.

Seven and Eight were on the other side of the common room, playing pong with Ransom and Holster. They were on their third game since neither pair would take losing to the other.

Calamity, who was only down one drink (she was clumsy enough without additional influence), was trying to find Sonny and the Quacks, the biggest wildcards.

Sonny, luckily, wasn’t causing too much mayhem. She was definitely drunk (for a girl her size, she had a terrible alcohol tolerance), but it seemed like all she was doing was letting herself be flirted with.

The Quacks were pretty solid as well. Rosie was hard to keep track of, since she was tipsy and just wanted to talk to everyone she could at a mile a minute. When Calamity finally caught up to her, Rosie was barely intelligible, she was talking so fast.

Rover and Achy were towards the back of the room, dancing and singing along to whatever music was playing (clearly, Achy could tolerate it). Rover had a can of something in her hand, and Achy had only a cup of water. 

“Seriously, it’s just water,” she said to Calamity. “I don’t really drink.”

Suddenly, a shout erupted from towards the center of the room. 

Calamity gave Rover and Achy an apologetic look. “I would much rather hang out with you girls, but I gotta go make sure our captain doesn’t give herself alcohol poisoning.”

The two freshmen had quizzical expressions as the junior headed toward the source of the commotion. 

To herself, Calamity mumbled, “How is it I become the responsible one at parties?”

At the root of it, Calamity found Donner, hand raised triumphantly and being crowded around by several of Samwell’s biggest jocks. The boys seemed like they didn’t know whether to be insulted or impressed.

Calamity gave her captain a look. “Mack, what did you do this time?”

Donner shrugged in response. “Defended my title.”

The junior put a hand on the senior’s shoulder. “I think that’s enough for you tonight. Even though you’re gonna wake up miraculously hangover-free tomorrow.”

“You’re probably right,” Donner said. With a grin, she added, “Besides, I think I’ve embarrassed the boys enough.” 

Some of the lax bros bristled as Calamity and Donner disappeared back into the party crowd. 

Back with the Quacks, Rosie, who at this point was on the happy side of drunk, had made her rounds and wound up back with Achy and Rover.

“I’m gonna grab Rosie some water,” Rover said. “Syd, you want anything? There’s still a lot of night left, and you haven’t had anything to drink.”

“I’ve had three cups of water, and I’d like a fourth,” Achy replied light-heartedly.

Rover returned shortly with two cups of water. She passed one to Rosie before the other freshman left, leaving just the D-men pair. 

“I thought you’d be more of a partier,” Rover mused. “Y’know, with your whole punk-rock thing going.”

Achy shrugged it off. “I’m a partier, I’m just not a drinker.” She added, “I thought you’d be less of a partier. You come off very buttoned-up, I guess.”

Rover smiled. “It’s the Russian in me. Cheap beer certainly isn’t vodka, but the sentiment stays.”

Franco then decided to make her appearance. “Rover, there you are! C’mon, you’re the first Quack with a goal, so you gotta do shots! Achy, you’re after her!”

Rover shrugged and began to follow Franco, but Achy stayed put.

Rover looked back at her friend. “You coming?”

“I’m good,” she replied simply.

“Aw, c’mon, Achy, it’s tradition!” Franco chimed in.

“You guys have fun,” Achy said, her face noticeably paler. “I… I think I’m gonna head home now. It’s a good night for a walk. I’ll see you guys in the morning?”

“Yeah, see you later.” Rover offered a sympathetic smile, before following Franco back into the crowd.

Sydney took a deep breath as soon as she got out of the suffocating heat and stickiness of the Big SHOWH. Her chest still felt tight, even with the fresh air. 

She needed to calm down. She was fine. Rover and the others would be fine. She just needed to think about something else.

Sydney pulled her earbuds from their place in her pocket, plugged them into her phone, and put the State Champs album _The Finer Things_ on shuffle. As the opening guitar riff of “Nothing’s Wrong” filled her ears, she felt herself relax. This album always made her happy. It made her think of the unique joy of being in the pit at a concert, of singing loudly in a friend’s car as they headed down the Garden State Parkway.

Her dorm wasn’t too far from the Big SHOWH, but Sydney wanted to savor the night air and the music, so she walked slowly. Before she knew it, the album’s 36 minutes of pop-punk goodness had ended, and Spotify decided to give her something else.

Sydney stopped in her tracks when “The Permanent Rain” by the Dangerous Summer came on. She couldn’t hear this song, not now. She should skip it, she knew she should, but she couldn’t bring herself to. So Sydney let it play, and with the song, let in the feelings she’d rather forget.

* * *

The next morning, Sydney woke up to a knock on the door. Her face felt stiff with the remnants of tears as she got up to open the door. Behind it stood Franco and Rover.

“Morning,” Rover said. Her expression was serious, but not the same kind of serious she was on the ice. She seemed sadder. “We’re here to say we’re sorry for how we treated you last night.”

“Okay,” Sydney responded, prompting the explanation.

“Some of the things I said last night made it seem like I was trying to force you to drink last night, which was absolutely not my intention, so I want you to know I fully respect your boundaries and your decisions, and I’m really sorry if I made you think otherwise.”

“Yeah,” Franco said. “I know it’s not a good excuse, but I was really drunk last night, and I wasn’t thinking straight. I should’ve respected your choice instead of trying to push you. And I know we joke about ‘Do as I say, not as I do’ and whatever, but I should’ve been better and I’m sorry.” 

Sydney looked back at her friends. “I accept your apology.”

“Thanks, Syd,” Rover replied.

“We’re gonna grab hangover coffee at Annie’s now, you wanna come?” Franco offered.

“I’m okay, but thanks,” Sydney said. “I’ll see you guys later.”

“See you later.”

Franco left, but Rover lingered. “You know, if there’s something you need to talk about, I’m always here,” she said.

“I know, Val, and I appreciate that,” Sydney replied. “But I don’t think I’m ready to talk just yet.” She moved to close the door. “I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah, see you later.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, everyone!
> 
> Well, this got a bit more serious than expected. Yeah, Achy has a bit of personal baggage, which will be unpacked at a later date. I promise that things will get more lighthearted next chapter!
> 
> I hope you're continuing to enjoy "Longshot," and thanks for all your support!


	9. Rosie's Dilemma, Decision, and Dinner

The team filed into the locker room after morning practice, a mass of sweat and conversation as usual. As everyone settled and began changing, Donner announced, “Great practice, guys. We’ve got the Princeton game on Saturday in the bag!”

“You’re unusually confident,” Calamity noted.

Donner shrugged. “Maybe. But we are on a two-game winning streak.”

Sonny gave Calamity a light shove. “And we can totally make it a third.”

“Just checking, you said Saturday, right?” Rosie asked warily.

“Yeah, Saturday the… 4th, I think?” Donner replied.

The freshman groaned. “Fuck.”

“What is it?” Rover asked.

“Saturday is Yom Kippur.”

“Oh shit, that’s the Jewish holiday when you can’t eat, right?” Franco said.

Rosie nodded sadly.

“Does this mean you’d have to miss the game?” Eight asked.

“I don’t know. Probably.” Rosie groaned again. “And I just got moved up to second line too!”

“You should go talk to Gardner and Walsh,” Donner suggested. “If you tell them your situation, they’d probably work something out with you.”

“I know, it’s just, I’m conflicted,” Rosie said. “Like, I promised my family I’d at least go to services, and maybe fast, just because that’s what I’ve always done. And I know everyone will be cool if I do that, but I’d still feel like I’m letting you guys down.”

“Rosie, you don’t have to worry about that at all,” Donner reassured. “We are behind you, 100 percent, always. We’re a team, and you’re our teammate. It’s just what we do.”

Rosie took a deep breath. “Thanks, Donner. I think I just need some time to process.”

Once she was outside Faber, she took a breath of the cool autumn air and called her dad.

“ _Hi Delaney, how’s it going?_ ” he asked.

“Hi Dad. I’m good!” she replied. She quickly added, “And don’t worry, this isn’t an emergency call. It’s a… dilemma call.”

“ _Alright. What’s your dilemma?_ ”

“So Saturday is Yom Kippur. And I have a game that night.”

“ _Really? I hoped that wouldn’t be an issue in college! And Yom Kippur!_ ” Annoyance leaked into her father’s voice.

“Yeah, I know. Before I realized the game was on Yom Kippur, I was gonna go to services at Hillel and fast, like I would at home.”

“ _You should still do that. It’s okay to miss the game, it’s for a religious observance. And you should fight if anyone gives you a hassle about it!_ ”

“I would, but… it’s more complicated than that. I just got moved up to second line for this game.”

“ _You can claim discrimination if the coaches penalize you for missing the game._ ”

Rosie paused. “I, uh… I don’t know if I want to miss the game though. Like, I’m really enjoying this season so far. I love playing with this team, and I get a rush every time we play a game. And, like, I don’t want to let the team down. Especially because I just got moved up a line.”

“ _I’m really glad that you’re enjoying it. But this is a decision you need to make, Delaney. You’re an adult now. You don’t have me and Mom telling you what to do about this anymore._ ”

“I know, I know. I guess I’m just looking for guidance.”

“ _Well, if you want my opinion, I don’t think you should play the game. Have I told you the Sandy Koufax story?_ ”

“So many times, Dad.”

“ _It is a good one. But at the end of the day, the decision is yours, Delaney. Just make sure that whatever you choose, you own it._ ”

“I know. Thanks, Dad.”

“ _Good luck. Love you._ ”

“Love you too.”

As nice as it was to talk to her dad, the conversation left Rosie no more sure of herself than she was before. Her father was right though; she was an adult now, she had to make this decision for herself. 

But that didn’t mean she had to make her decision right this minute.

Her first step was to talk to Coach Gardner and Coach Walsh, just to see what her options were. Rosie wandered back through Faber to the coaches’ office, hoping they were still around the rink after practice. She knocked on the door. 

Gardner opened it. “Hi, Delaney. What do you need?”

“Hi, Coach Gardner. I just wanted to ask a couple things about Saturday’s game.”

He ushered her in. Walsh was already seated at the desk. Rosie sat down.

“Before you begin, I just want to say that you’ve been doing a great job, Delaney,” Walsh said. “You’ve already improved a lot in a short period of time, and I’m looking forward to seeing what you’ll do on a new line for the game this Saturday.”

“Thank you, Coach. But it’s that Saturday game I want to address.” Rosie took a deep breath. “This Saturday is Yom Kippur, a pretty important Jewish holiday. I’ll be missing morning practice that day to attend services. I’m also considering whether I should play in the game or not. But only with your permission to miss it, of course.”

“You can observe your holiday as you want to, Delaney,” Gardner said. “I’m sorry that this conflict was even an issue at all. I’ll try to keep it in mind for next year.”

“So it’s okay if I miss that game? Even though you just moved me up to second line? Which I’m really thankful for, by the way.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Walsh said. “That spot on second line will still be waiting for you next game.”

Rosie was relieved. “Thank you so much for being understanding. I promise I’ll still bring my A-game to practice this week. And I’ll let you know by Thursday at the latest what my plans are for that game.”

“We hope you’ll play with us, but if your religious observance is more important, we understand completely,” Gardner said.

“Happy New Year, by the way,” Walsh added. “Yom Kippur is the Jewish new year, right?”

“That’s Rosh Hashanah, that was last week. But I appreciate the thought!” Rosie replied. “Again, thank you so much, and I’ll see you at practice tomorrow.”

The conversation was good news. Not only did she have permission to miss morning practice for services, Rosie now had the full freedom to make her decision about the game without worrying about her standing with the coaches. She still had to make the decision though, which was the agonizing part. But she didn’t have to think about that now.

* * *

When Donner and Franco returned to the Big SHOWH, they were met with the sweet and savory smells of home cooking. 

“Did you ask Bitty to make you a pie or something?” Franco asked.

“No. And besides, this isn’t the smell of Bitty’s baking,” Donner replied. “It’s heartier.”

The two seniors meandered into the kitchen to find a dish baking in the oven, a pot of something boiling on the stove, and ingredients were spread across the counter. In the middle of it all was Rosie, leaning on the counter with her head hung low.

“Hey, Rosie?” Donner called.

The freshman sat up. “Oh. Hi.”

Donner moved next to Rosie. “You okay?”

“No…” she groaned, her shoulders slumping. “I’m stressed out over this stupid decision!”

“Alright. You wanna sit down and talk about it?” the captain offered.

“Yeah, I think so.”

Donner took a seat on one of the counter stools and motioned for Rosie to sit next to her.

“I’m not good at making decisions,” she said as she sat down. “Especially not this one. Like, I called my dad, and he told me that I need to be an adult and make my own decision. But, like, I’m conflicted.”

“What’s the conflict?” Donner asked.

“It’s between playing the game and not,” Rosie said. “But it’s not just choosing between playing or not. It’s like choosing between my religion and my interest. It’s like my faith versus what I love. And it gets worse because I feel like I’ll let someone down no matter what I choose. I’d let down my family if I choose the game, and I’d let down you guys if I choose the holiday.”

“Delaney, look at me,” Donner directed. The freshman stared at her, sadness in her eyes. “You make the choice that feels right in your gut. I’ll admit, I’ve never had to make a choice like this, but the beauty is that you have a choice. And I can assure you, no matter what you choose, you won’t let anyone down, not us and not your family.”

“You sure? Even if I choose not to play?”

“Rosie, we’re a team. We stand by each other, no matter what. We will respect and understand and support your decision, no matter what it is.”

Tears welled up in Rosie’s eyes. “I’m sorry, it’s just… I’m so glad I’m on this team.”

Donner wrapped Rosie in a hug. “I’m glad you are too.”

They released, and Rosie took a deep breath. “I think… I don’t think I’m gonna play the game.”

“Alright,” Donner said. She smiled and added, “We’ll play for you.”

All of a sudden, the oven beeped, interrupting the touching moment.

“Oh! My kugel!” Rosie exclaimed, grabbing oven mitts and rushing over to grab the dish from the oven.

“Your what?” Franco asked.

Rosie set a steaming dish of baked noodles down on a towel on the counter near the senior. “Noodle kugel. It’s like sweet Jewish lasagna,” she explained. “My bubbe and I always make one for break-fast on Yom Kippur, so it felt like the right thing to stress-bake. You guys want some?”

“Yes please!” Franco exclaimed.

Donner shrugged. “I will never say no to free food.”

Rosie placed a plate with a slice of kugel in front of each senior. 

Franco took a cautious forkful. “Rosie. Your pasta is good…”

Donner interrupted, “And she’s a Jersey Italian, so that’s high praise.”

Franco gave her friend a look, then continued. “But this is something else! Like, seriously, it’s delicious.”

“I second that,” Donner added. “I’ve never had, what’s this again?”

“Noodle kugel.”

“Yeah. I’ve never had noodle kugel before, but it tastes like home.”

The light bulb over Rosie’s head turned on. “That’s it!” she exclaimed. “I know exactly what I’m gonna do for Saturday!”

“What?” Franco asked. “I hope it involves more kugel. Can I take another slice?”

“Go ahead. And luckily for you, it does.” Rosie grinned as she explained her plan. “So I’m still gonna fast, and go to services, and miss the game like I had decided. But- here’s the new part. After the game, the whole team comes back here for a combination break-fast and post-game home-cooked meal. I’ll make another kugel, probably whip up a coffee cake, and see what I can buy. It’ll be the perfect mix of new and old, team and tradition!”

“That sounds great,” Donner said. “If there’s anything I or the team can do to help you, let me know.”

“Awesome, thanks!” Rosie replied. “I’m really looking forward to this now.”

* * *

Before Rosie knew it, Saturday rolled around. Earlier in the week, she had told the coaches of her absence from the game and told the team about the meal she was preparing. On Friday night, Rosie had her bowl of oatmeal, her proven best way to survive 24 hours of not eating.

Saturday morning, Rosie headed to services at the Samwell Hillel and met up with a few people she met at Rosh Hashanah. It was hard to focus on conversation, though; Rosie’s thoughts were occupied by food and recipes.

After services, Rosie got to work in the kitchen of the Big SHOWH. Various members of the team drifted through. Franco stopped by to taste-test, which Rosie was happy to let her do since she couldn’t eat her own cooking until later. Achy helped Rosie cook the spinach for the mini-knishes, and Rover did her best trying to fill and fold them. Donner dropped off cream cheese and what she said were the best bagels in the area, even though the New York-New Jersey contingent of the team probably wouldn’t even touch them. Seven and Eight helped out when Rosie accidentally spilled a decent amount of flour on the kitchen floor. Calamity gave Rosie a hand with mixing the batter. The whole team helped Rosie set up a few folding tables and a bunch of chairs in the common room.

Eventually, everyone left for the game, leaving Rosie alone with her food and her thoughts. She put some finishing touches on dishes and wrapped them up to keep them as warm as possible. As the sun dipped lower in the sky, she began setting the table. She started with a plastic tablecloth, then a set of fun paper plates. As she placed plastic silverware next to each plate, her thoughts drifted. 

_I did the right thing, she thought. I found the way to show that both my faith and the rest of my life are important. I’m thankful everyone was so accepting- I can’t imagine what would have happened if they weren’t. I’m thankful they all helped me out, too- there was no way I could’ve made a meal of this size just by myself. Honestly, I’m thankful for this team. They just accepted me, completely, into their group, their wild and amazing world. I’m so glad I joined the Samwell Women’s Hockey team._

Eventually, the makeshift dining table was fully set. Each seat had a plate, silverware, a cup, and a nickname tag. Rosie set her covered dishes on the table and scattered a few bottles of soda and two pitchers of water across it. The whole set up reminded her a little of tables in the dining hall at the camp she used to go to.

Not too long afterward, the team returned.

“How’d you guys do?” Rosie asked.

“We kicked their ass!” Franco exclaimed.

“Franco here had a beautiful shutout,” Calamity said.

“A shutout? No way!” Rosie replied. “Franco, congrats!”

“Why thank you,” the senior said with a proud smile.

“We missed you out there,” Donner said to Rosie.

“I missed being there! I wish I got to see that, at least!” Rosie motioned to the table. “But c’mon, let’s sit down, I’m starving!”

Once everyone had found their nickname on a place card and took their seat, Rosie had an announcement to make. “I’ll keep this short because I want to eat, but there’s something I want to say. I missed the game, and I made this whole meal, as part of observing a Jewish holiday. The holidays at this time of year are all about making sure you have a good new year since the Jewish new year is in September-ish. So before we eat, I want to go around the table and say something we all want to do, be, or are looking forward to for this year,” she said. “Like, for me, I want to score my first-ever college hockey goal.” With a smile, she added, “Hopefully sooner than later.”

“Nice idea, Rosie,” Donner said. “I want to be the best captain, player, and member of this team I can be.”

“I want to beat my shutout record,” Franco said. “Looks like I’m already on my way.”

Seven said she wants to learn something new. “Like an instrument, or another language or something.”

Eight said, “I want to go somewhere new and interesting. Maybe do like a road trip.”

“I want to be healthy and not injured for a whole season,” Calamity said.

Sonny gave her a nudge. “Good luck.”

Calamity gave her friend a look. “Well what’s yours?”

The sophomore smiled. “I want us to win the national championship.”

Achy said she wants to meet new people. “You guys are definitely helping.”

“I want to find my passion,” Rover said.

Rosie smiled. “I’m glad we did that. Now dig in, everyone!”

The table filled with the sounds of serving and eating. Rosie’s spread was pretty impressive. There was her kugel, a quiche-like dish, miniature spinach knishes, the bagels, and blueberry muffins and a homemade coffee cake for dessert.

Taking a bite of kugel, Franco remarked, “I think it’s better the second time. Great job, Rosie!”

“Yeah, this is delicious,” Sonny added.

“You’ve cooked for us before, but this is amazing. Both the food itself, and the scale,” Calamity said. “Thanks, Rosie.”

“You’re welcome,” she replied. “I’m glad you guys are enjoying it.”

Rosie happily enjoyed her own cooking among her teammates and friends. She smiled. Everything had gone perfectly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'll keep it short today, so thanks for your readership and support! I really appreciate it!


	10. Family Weekend

“Alright, so Family Weekend is this week,” Donner announced, taking a seat on a couch in the common room of the Big SHOWH. “So I’m taking stock. Who has family coming?”

Franco, who was sitting next to Donner with her feet up on the coffee table, put down her phone and raised a hand. “Me!”

The captain gave her a look. “Alright, how many relatives this year?”

“My dad, my grandma and three cousins, the high schoolers,” Franco replied.

“Pretty low-key for your family,” Donner noted.

“Yeah, they figured they’ll all turn up for graduation.”

“At least we get Nonna Franceschi.”

“Wait, Franco, your grandma’s coming again?” Seven asked. She was leaning back-to-back on Eight on the other couch. “She’s the best!”

“Remember that time she came up to stop by a Haus party?” Eight said.

Seven laughed. “That was the best!”

Franco shrugged. “Nonna’s crazy, but that’s the best part about her.”

“Do you guys have family coming up?” Donner asked Seven and Eight.

“Not this weekend,” Seven replied. “My mom didn’t want to deal with the crowds, so she’ll come down another time. My dad and my stepmom didn’t want to take Henry, but they didn’t have anyone to leave him with, so they’re not coming either.”

“You can hang with me,” Eight said. “My mom’s coming up, and since my dad couldn’t get off work, she’s bringing Tia Elena.”

“Is that the aunt you always tell crazy stories about?”

“Yep. If you think my mom is fun when she and my dad come by, you’ve never seen her with her sister.”

Seven smiled. “I’m looking forward to it. Thanks.”

“Oh! Are you guys talking about Family Weekend?” Rosie said, placing a dish and a few forks on the coffee table. “I made mac and cheese by the way. Achy helped.”

“Yeah. Who’s coming up for you?” Donner asked as the others helped themselves to the mac and cheese.

“Just my parents,” Rosie replied. “They’re really excited though. They can’t wait to watch us play!”

“Nice. What about you, Achy?”

“My mom and my stepdad are coming,” Achy said. “And because I know you’re going to ask, Rover’s older brothers are coming. Her parents are probably coming another time though.”

“I actually kinda want to meet Rover’s brothers,” Franco mused. “They’ve gotta be somewhere in between her super-serious Russian and all the shit she says they did.”

“Do you have anyone coming, Donner?” Rosie asked.

“Nah, but it’s okay,” she replied. “I’ll be busy getting interrogated as part of my captainly duties. Remember Sonny’s parents with JQuinn last year?”

“I felt so bad for JQuinn,” Eight said.

Seven added, “But I could totally see where Sonny gets it from.”

“And besides, Franco’s family likes me more than they like her,” Donner said with a smirk directed at her best friend.

Franco gave her a shove. “Oh, fuck off.”

* * *

“And I am not surprised by the amount of band posters you put up,” James, Sydney’s stepdad remarked as Sydney and her family drifted back into the hall after they looked through her dorm.

“Hey, I had to make it homey somehow,” Sydney defended.

“I’m glad you haven’t been following your standard of leaving shoes everywhere, though,” Beth, her mom, said.

“I did at first,” Sydney replied. “But then my roommate almost killed me for it, and I changed my act real quick.”

Beth chuckled. “Thank her for me.”

“You said your friend Valentina lives on the same hall, right?” James said.

“Yeah. We can walk that way if you want to meet her,” Sydney suggested.

As it turned out, Rover was right by her dorm room, with two large men in tow.

“Oh, hey Val!” Sydney said. “These are my parents.”

Rover greeted them with a handshake. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You as well, Valentina,” Beth said. “Sydney talks about you a lot.”

“Mom, you don’t just say that!” Sydney protested. Beth just smiled at her daughter.

“Well, these two are Andy and Mike, my older brothers,” Rover introduced.

“It’s nice to meet you…” Sydney trailed off when she finally looked up (and she had to, they were both very tall) at Rover’s brothers. “Holy hell.”

The one with dark hair said something in Russian to Rover. She smiled.

“You’re Andrei Federov,” Sydney said, still gaping at the one with lighter hair. She turned to her defense partner. “Rover, why did you never tell me your brother was in the NHL!”

Rover shrugged. “You never asked.”

Her brother smiled at Sydney. “Nice to meet you as well,” Andrei said.

Sydney mentally rebooted herself before saying, “Yeah, nice to meet you too. Sorry, I don’t meet awesome NHL players every day. I mean, like, you were one of the best forwards the Avs ever had, and your fights were legendary.”

Mike nudged Andrei. “Look, you’ve got a fan.”

Andrei shoved him back. “Закрой рот.”

“Sydney, that presentation we wanted to go to is in ten minutes, we should get going,” Beth said.

Sydney’s face fell. She glanced at Rover, who looked sympathetic.

“Well, it was nice to meet you, Valentina,” James said.

“You as well,” Rover replied. “I’ll see you at the game, Syd.”

“See you then, Val.”

“She’s your defense partner, right?” Andy asked Valentina after Achy left.

“Yeah. She’s good.”

“Really? She’s tiny,” Mike said.

Valentina rolled her eyes. “You’re also ridiculously tall.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing you guys play tonight,” Andy said. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you on the ice.”

“We’re a good team. I think you’ll be pleased.” Valentina added, “But I’ve gotta make sure Achy doesn’t flip if I tell her you’re in the stands.”

Andy asked, “How’d she get that nickname?”

“Remarkably, it’s nothing insulting. Her last name’s Acker, and Franco, the goalie, decided to shorten it to Achy,” Valentina replied. “Did I tell you they’ve been calling me Rover?”

“Oh, that’s a good one,” Andy said. “I was always cursed with terrible nicknames.”

“Do you guys want to see the team house now?” Valentina asked. “Probably a couple more of my teammates, and definitely the captain will be hanging around.”

“Now you’re talking,” Mike said. “Do you know if any of them like tall guys?”

Valentina shook her head. “You’ve got no chance.”

Andy chuckled. “Besides, no girl wants to date a gorilla.”

Mike replied, “Пошёл на хуй.”

The three siblings continued chirping each other in English and Russian as they walked.

* * *

After a day of entertaining parents and other assorted family members, the game finally rolled around. And it kept rolling- Clarkson didn’t know what hit them. 

The Samwell women’s hockey team was on fire. By the end of the first period, they were winning 2-0. The second of those was Rosie’s first-ever college hockey goal. Early in the second period, Donner added her second goal of the night and was looking on her way to a hat trick. Franco was still immovable in goal. In the third, Sonny got a major penalty for dishing out a nasty check. Franco let in a goal about midway through the period, but not too long after, Donner netted her third goal and the crowd went wild. They finished the game with a decisive 4-1 victory.

Franco found her family after the game. Her grandma greeted her with a big hug. “That was a great game, Kelly. I’m glad your team pulled off the win, those refs didn’t know what they were doing.”

Franco laughed. “Thanks, Nonna. I knew it could only be you dropping F-bombs on the refs.”

Franco’s father put a hand on her shoulder. “It really was a great game. Your team looks really good this year.”

“Yeah. I think we got a long season ahead of us.” Franco turned to her cousin Gianna. “Still think field hockey’s better than ice hockey?”

“Duh,” Gianna replied. “But you’re not half bad.”

“That’s high praise,” Dom, another cousin, quipped.

Turning away from her family for a moment, Franco shouted, “Yo, Donner!” and waved the captain over. 

Donner came to stand next to Franco. “Hi again, Mr. Franceschi, Mrs. Franceschi. And Gianna, Dom, and Joe.”

“What did I tell you last time, Mackenzie, call me Nonna or Maria. None of this Mrs. Franceschi business,” Franco’s grandmother said.

Joe, yet another cousin, asked, “Hey, you’re the one who got the hat trick, right?”

Donner smiled. “That would be me.”

Joe smiled back. “That was sick.”

Meanwhile, Sonny caught up with her parents, who were gushing about the game.

“That play in the second, the one from you, to Ochoa, back to you, to Callender, and then to Donohue and she scored, that was beautiful,” her mother said.

Her father added, “Or that other one, where you got the puck from right under that defenseman.”

“Yeah, it really was a great game.” Sonny grinned. “I’m just surprised you guys aren’t on me about all my penalty time.”

Her mother laughed. “Oh, no, they deserved it.”

“You guys really proved you’ve got it together out there,” Sonny’s father said. “From the defending, to the goalkeeping, and that hat trick. I think Samwell’s got a good shot at the championship this year.”

Her mother added, “We’ll be there watching when you win!”

Sonny smiled. “I know you guys come to all our games, but thanks for being here. And thanks for always supporting me.”

“Of course, honey. We’ll always be there for you.”

Not too far away, Calamity’s father wrapped her in a hug. “Great game, Fiona. I’m so proud of you.”

Calamity beamed. “Thanks, Dad. I’m so glad you and Ryan were able to make it.”

“Of course,” her father said. “I got to see my daughter land two great assists. You know I’ve always loved how in hockey, the assists count as much as the goals.”

“I do know.”

“And your school’s pretty cool,” Ryan, Calamity’s brother said. “I like it.”

“I told you I’m not a bad tour guide!”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ryan changed topics. “Who’s the girl with the pink hair? Number 12, I think?”

“Oh, that’s Rosie,” Calamity replied. “She’s one of the freshmen, she’s great.”

Ryan leaned in closer to his sister. “Think you could get me her number?”

Calamity slapped him on the shoulder. “I am not setting you up with one of my teammates!”

“You’re no fun,” Ryan replied, but he was still smiling.

The girls of the Samwell Women’s Hockey team and their families all talked happily, emblematic of a successful and pleasant Family Weekend on all fronts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I figured with everything that's been going on in canon recently, a nice, positive Family Weekend would be nice. 
> 
> Thanks again for reading! I really appreciate your continued support!


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